Covington, 67, died when his sedan slammed head-on into a wall near a curve at Belardo Road near South Palm Canyon Drive at about 5 p.m. He was the only person in the car, and according to authorities, he was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

Witnesses say there were no tire marks and no braking. Police declined to give out any details on the cause of the crash. Covington, a Palm Springs resident, was declared dead at the scene.

Roads in the area were shut down for several hours while police investigated.

Covington helped found Blues-rock group Hot Tuna in 1969, but he was best known for his involvement with Jefferson Airplane. He wrote and sang the last hit for Jefferson Airplane 1971's "Pretty As You Feel" featured on the Bark Album.